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Topic: 3rd Battalion

December 19, 2014 |

Fort Campbell, KY – Many gathered Friday to remember the 248 Soldiers – noncommissioned officers and officers from units across this division, the majority from 3rd Battalion of the 502nd Infantry Regiment – who lost their lives December 12th, 1985, in a plane crash at Gander, Newfoundland. The troops were returning home from a six-month peacekeeping mission in Sinai, Egypt, as part of the Multinational Force and Observers.

This year marks the 29th anniversary of that heartbreaking winter day. There were several memorial ceremonies Friday, not only at Fort Campbell, but across the world.

Col. Peter N. Benchoff and Command Sgt. Maj. John Brady pay tribute, to the 248 Soldiers who lost their lives in a plane crash in Gander, Newfoundland at the 29th Gander Memorial Ceremony. Twenty nine years ago this morning, Arrow Airlines flight 1285 took off from Gander Newfoundland in Canada with eight crew members and 248 Soldiers, noncommissioned officers, and officers from units across this division, the majority from 3rd Battalion of the 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. The flight crashed immediately following takeoff and there were no survivors. The soldiers were returning home from a peace keeping mission in Sinai, Egypt. Strike Soldiers and Screaming Eagle families gather yearly in remembrance. (Sgt. 1st Class Eric Abendroth/U.S. Army)

Fort Campbell, KY – By signing an enlistment contract, Soldiers are already showing their dedication not only to their local community but to their country as a whole.

However, fulfilling the call of duty is sometimes not enough. For Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Roberts, a food service sergeant with 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), it was an opportunity to use the skills the Army trained him to do, to better his community.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Roberts, food service sergeant with 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), talks to the children of his football team, Oct. 21, 2014. The team he coaches is part of the Bud Hudson Youth Football League of the Boys and Girls Club of America in Christian County, Ky. (Sgt. Justin A. Moeller/U.S. Army)

Fort Campbell, KY – Teams from 101st Airborne Division units and Fort Campbell competed in a series of marksmanship events on Tuesday during the 101st Airborne Division’s Week of the Eagles.

“Competition breeds Excellence,” said 1st Lt. Jonathan Pickens, the planner for the Week of the Eagles Marksmanship Competition. “It also helps build that competitive edge that we need to take to the enemy when we’re deployed overseas.”

Snipers and their spotters conduct a visual search for foreign objects placed down range.

Written by Staff Sgt. Joel Salgado
3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

Fort Campbell, KY – Growing up in Fontana California, Andre Shinda loved to play sports. He played football through high school and wanted what every other high school football player did, to go to the pros.

By his junior year in high school, Shinda was already being looked at by college universities. He was fortunate to make it out of the area he grew up in. Many of his friends and teammates were not. Some had run-ins with the law, others problems with illegal substances.

1st Lt. Andre Shinda (right) and Staff Sgt. Robert Herendeen (left) from 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team “Rakkasans,” 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), race to the finish line at the final event of the ‘Best Rakkasan’ competition here Feb. 20, 2014. The competition tested the two-Soldier teams mentally and physically over two days in a series of eight events to determine the Brigade’s premiere Soldiers. (Staff Sgt. Joel Salgado/U.S. Army)

Spc. Zachary Nattrass, a vehicle gunner assigned to Distribution Platoon, Company G, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team “Rakkasans,” 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), demonstrates the proper usage of a head space and timing gage for Afghan National Army soldiers on a M2 Browning .50 calibre machine gun at an ANA outpost in Qalandar District, Afghanistan, Jan. 8, 2013. The class was held in conjunction with a partnership mission to assist ANA forces with security in their area of operations. (Spc. Brian Smith-Dutton/U.S. Army)

Fort Campbell, KY – Nearly 120 Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division participated in the 2012 Week of the Eagles Marksmanship Competition here August 14th to provide the Soldiers a challenging and realistic assessment of their marksmanship skills and provide scores toward the Commander’s Cup.

Out of the seven units that competed, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team “Strike” won first place overall, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team “Rakkasans” won second place and the 1st Brigade Combat Team “Bastogne” won third place. The scoring system for all of the events provided each team one point per hit on target and deducted one point per safety violation and for every 30 seconds of the timed movements between firing orders. The winner was determined by the total hit count remaining after all deductions.

Fort Campbell, KY – The 159th Combat Aviation Brigade part of the 101st Airborne Division held a ceremony uncasing their unit colors at the Fort Campbell Army Airfield’s Passenger Processing Center on March 22nd.

The colors uncasing ceremony is a time-honored tradition that marks the final step of redeployment for the brigade from its yearlong mission providing rotary-wing aviation support throughout southern Afghanistan.

Col. Royar, the Commander of the 159th addressing the assembled soldiers and family members

Fort Campbell, KY – The Gander Crash happened 26 years ago yesterday, but for those who lived through the aftermath of that tragic plane crash the memories are as fresh as if it happened yesterday. Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division honored the memories of those who lost their lives in a short ceremony yesterday.

The Ceremony was held at the Task Force 3-502 Memorial. On this memorial are the names of the 248 Screaming Eagles who where killed in the crash; along with a verse from the Bible, Isaiah 10:30-31, which reads “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as Eagles.” The memorial also features a grove of trees in perfect formation, each one represents a soldier who lost their life, a small stone sits at the foot of the tree identifying the specific soldier that tree represents.

Fort Campbell, KY – The loss of an American soldier is never an easy thing to handle, It does not matter if you personally knew them or not. Our entire nation mourns right along with the soldier’s family and loved ones. The current deployment has been especially tough on the 101st Airborne Division, with 116 soldiers having lost their lives. Yesterday, the sacrifice made by “8 courageous Screaming Eagles”, seven men and one woman was recognized in a ceremony held at the 101st Division Headquarters at the Fort Campbell Army Base.

The atmosphere was heavy, you could sense of emotion that this ceremony brought with it. Family members and loved ones gathered before the ceremony talking quietly amongst themselves remembering the soldiers they were there to honor. Present at the ceremony were wives, fiancée, husbands, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, friends, community leaders, brothers and sisters in arms, and so much more. Each one was dealing with their personal grief in a myriad of ways.

Brigadier General Jeffrey N. Colt, the Deputy Commander of Fort Campbell deals with an emotional moment during his remarks

Khost Province, Afghanistan – U.S. and Afghan forces struggled against the elements to rescue almost 100 Afghans trapped in the flooded river beds of Khost Province August 4th.

Rising waters, the result from a week’s worth of unseasonal rain in the province, left Afghan travelers stranded amongst the dry river beds frequently used for travel in the area.

With dozens of people trapped, combined forces sprung into action, loading onto UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and flying into the difficult terrain.

While the helicopters hovered roughly three to four feet over the muddy ground, U.S. Soldiers snap-linked and fast-roped out to recover people before they drowned.

A local resident looks outside a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after being rescued from flood waters after multiple days of heavy rain. The man was among a group of 95 residents rescued by combined forces from Task Force Rakkasan and Afghan National Security Forces. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Sean Wright, Task force Red Knight)